"Health workers are humans too, and they need to take care of themselves so that they can continue to provide vital services during this protracted public health crisis," writes Asma Humayun in today's Dawn.

"Even in normal circumstances, healthcare is a challenging profession known to adversely impact the mental health of staff, compromising their quality of life as well as work performance. And these are anything but normal circumstances. Since the pandemic began, healthcare workers’ challenges have multiplied.

"At a personal level, healthcare workers are afraid of contracting the virus and exposing their families to risk; burdened by the separation from their families and abdication of domestic responsibilities such as childcare; and face the social stigma that comes with working with Covid-19 patients."

Read the full op-ed here.